Bonn have now improved to 7-9 in the Bundesliga standings and could soon join the battle for the last play-off spot as they have a game in hand compared to the three sides that are tied in eighth place with eight wins each.

TOFAS START STRONG, ADD LUKAUSKIS

Mindaugas Lukauskis gives Tofas more versatility on the wings

Both Turkish sides that compete in the EuroChallenge kicked off the new year in the best way possible.

Tofas Bursa picked up an important success on the road in the BEKO Ligi on Saturday, before announcing a new addition to their roster.

They outlasted their hosts Olin Edirne, 73-72, in a back-and-forth encounter that went into overtime.

Once again, Steven Burtt was the key player on offence for the Bursa side.

The point guard spent over 40 minutes on the floor and finished with 18 points and five assists, getting plenty of support from Joshua Heytvelt who contributed 16 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of playing time.

The hard-fought victory allows Tofas to keep their hopes for a play-off spot intact, as they improved to 6-8 and remain tied in eighth place with Aliağa Petkim.

On Monday, the club announced they had agreed to terms with Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Lukauskis, who had filled in for injured Tomas Kelati at Spanish side Valencia Basket earlier in the season.

Lukauskis averaged 4.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in his five games in Liga Endesa.

Pinar Karsiyaka meanwhile defeated Erdemir 64-54 on Saturday, also on the road, to register a second consecutive win after their loss at Anadolu Efes on 23 December.

True to the defence-comes-first principle of their coach Ufuk Sarica, the Izmir team gave up only 20 points to their hosts during the entire second half to come back from an early six-point deficit and secure the victory.

Center William Thomas was instrumental in the success as he led all scorers with 16 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Robert Dixon had a bad shooting night but still contributed 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.Karsiyaka improved to 11-3 and stay within one win of league leaders Banvit and Fenerbahce.

Both Tofas and Karsiyaka are again in action next weekend in the BEKO Ligi before they turn their focus on their opening EuroChallenge Last 16 games, in Group I and Group K respectively.